Following the tragic death of Fiona Pilkington four police officers faced misconduct proceedings for failing to spot the 10-year pattern of abuse which drove the desperate mum to kill herself and her daughter.

An inspector, a sergeant and two constables were questioned about the way they handled calls made by Ms Pilkington in the months and years before she killed herself and Francesca.

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A report by the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) at the time said police repeatedly failed to spot the family’s vulnerability.

Fiona Pilkington and her daughter Francesca Hardwick

However, internal hearings, which were under the supervision of a senior Leicestershire officer with the IPCC observing, concluded in 2011 that misconduct “was not proven”.

Instead the force said it did not have the systems in place at the time to enable the officers to recognise that the family was vulnerable and were repeatedly targeted.

Bardon Road, Barwell, where Fiona Pilkington and her family endured years of abuse

Anthony and Fiona’s mother, Pamela Cassell, later lodged a claim for damages at the High Court, stating there was a “substantial chance” the pair would not have died if police officers had taken decisive action against their persecutors earlier.

Claims against both the county and borough council were abandoned by the family.

Although Leicestershire Police never admitted liability for the deaths, it later agreed to pay compensation to them. The amount of which, believed to be a five-figure sum, has never been disclosed.

Chief Constable for Leicestershire Police, Simon Cole

Chief Constable Simon Cole has previously said that lessons were learned.

In the wake of their deaths, Leicestershire Police formed the adult referral and co-ordination team - a specialist unit to ensure vulnerable adults didn’t slip through the net.

Speaking today, a Leicestershire Police spokesperson said: “The death of Fiona Pilkington and her daughter Francesca in 2007 was a terrible tragedy and our sympathies remain with her family and friends 10 years on.

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“Our approach to hate crime and anti-social behaviour has changed beyond all recognition in the last decade. We take all such reports seriously and, in partnership with many agencies, do all we can to prevent such crimes happening in the first place.”